I just love her with all my heart

The day was clear as Cassandra scanned the beach from her vantage point atop the lighthouse. There was a breeze, or a bit more than a breeze, as was common on the beachfront. She breathed in the salty air, gripping the railing as she stared in the direction of town.

Cassandra would never have said that she was unhappy. In truth, she had never felt that way. She acknowledged that a job such as hers was not suited for everyone. But it suited her, and she would have been content to live out her days, watching the waves roll in and the ships sail by, with naught but the gulls and seals to keep her company. She was satisfied with her position, with her life, and with the loneliness that came with it.

But that had changed the day Rapunzel invited herself in.

Her visits were the highlight of Cassandra's week. Indeed, the most exciting thing she'd had to look forward to up to that point in her life was her monthly delivery of fresh produce. That, and the occasional visit from her dad, although she couldn't really look forward to that seeing as his appearances were random and unplanned.

Rapunzel had taken to showing up once a week, on the same day, usually at a regular time of the afternoon. As that time approached, Cassandra started to feel giddy, like when her father would bring her an interesting trinket for her childhood birthdays.

It wasn't just the excitement from the break in the monotony that was her life that made her anticipate their regular meetings. Rapunzel, with her overly friendly nature and disregard for respecting other's property and their want for privacy, had somehow wormed her way into her life and then stuck there. And for some reason, unlike all others before her, Cassandra did not find her company unpleasant.

Any moment she would see her strolling along the sand, picnic basket in hand. It was a part of their routine. Cassandra would watch her approach, resisting the urge to run out and meet her halfway as her heart raced with elation. Rapunzel always brought some kind of sweet or savory goody to share, which was probably a large part of the reason Casandra kept letting her come back. She wasn't much of a cook, and the tasty gifts from her new friend were a welcome break from canned and pre-packaged meals.

More than that, it was actually nice to have someone she could call a friend.

She sighed as she tore her eyes away from the coastline. A watched pot never boils, she reminded herself, resolving to keep busy until her friends arrival. Surely there was something she could spruce up in the kitchen. Maybe tidy her bed. Make sure the few dishes she owned were clean. Things she didn't normally think about when she didn't have regular company. Yeah, she could make the place a little nicer while she waited.

* * *

Her home was small, and it wasn't long before she was making her way back up to the lookout, thinking fondly of the time she and Rapunzel had spent together. Cassandra had never asked anyone to go out of their way to visit her. She wouldn't dream of inconveniencing another person. But Rapunzel, for some reason she still couldn't ascertain, had sought her out on purpose. And after the first time, she'd just kept coming back.

She scanned the beach again, looking for the familiar figure. Not many people came out this way, being as the weather was almost never agreeable enough to be enjoyable. Plus, being a port town, there weren't many children or families; mostly retirees whose sailing days were far behind them, but who liked to regale their tales and swap stories with the fresher seafarers.

She's not usually this late, Cassandra mused, noting that the sun had long passed the halfway point in the sky. Something twisted in her gut, a seed of doubt about the legitimacy of their relationship. It lingered and grew as the day wore on, despite her best efforts to keep herself occupied. She'd be here. She'd never stood her up before. Something must have come up to delay her, but she'd be here.

* * *

The sun began to fall behind the ocean, creating an array of beautiful pinks and oranges and purples across the sky. Normally Cassandra would appreciate such a beautiful sunset, despite having seen thousands like it, but this evening it brought her no joy.

She slammed her fist against the metal railing, winching from the jolt of the pain. She should have known.

Rapunzel had plenty of other friends besides her. Ones who lived much more interesting lives. Ones who were happier and more upbeat. People who were much better company than herself. No doubt she had gotten caught up with them and forgotten all about her. Something in the back of Cassandra's mind always told her it would happen. So why was she so surprised?

It was nice while it lasted, she tried to console herself as she swallowed back the lump in her throat. A bit too nice. She'd let herself get accustomed to having someone around every once in a while. Gotten used to having a friend. She shouldn't have let herself open up. Let herself be vulnerable. Let herself hope they could ever be something more-

She scrubbed at her eyes, trying to quell the tears running down her cheeks, before she gave in, letting out a sob as she stood hunched over the railing. This would pass. She might be sad for a while, but she could go back to her old way of living, no problem. She'd never needed anyone before and she surely didn't need anyone now. Rapunzel wasn't much of a friend anyway if she was willing to abandon her so easily. To forget her so carelessly.

She rubbed away any remaining tears with her shirt, making her way downstairs. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't yet eaten that day. It made her think of all the wonderful things Rapunzel used to make for her. Used to.

She stood in the kitchen, forcing down half a can of beef to hopefully keep her belly quiet. It was her own fault for thinking that someone might actually like her. That anyone could enjoy her presence for an extended amount of time. What a stupid thing to think. Who did she think she was? Letting herself get a big head just because someone showed her a bit of kindness.

With little else to do, she laid down in bed, hoping the sweet release of sleep would provide some comfort.

* * *

So the week came and went, with no sign of her now former friend.

* * *

Cassandra was hard at work, cleaning the glass of the lantern room, making sure there were no blemishes that would distort the light that it emitted. Some part of her was trying to stuff down the lingering thought in the back of her mind that today would normally be the day Rapunzel made an appearance. But not anymore. Not since she'd failed to show last week.

She scrubbed a little harder at a particularly stubborn smudge on the glass.

"Cass!"

She thought she heard her name faintly on the breeze, but it was probably just her imagination playing a cruel trick.

"Cassandra!"

She whipped around as the sound echoed up the stairs, still quiet when combined with the sound of the wind and waves, but more distinct now. She set down her tools and headed for the space below.

She wanted to take the steps two at a time, but years of trekking up and down the lighthouse stairs had taught her that caution was the key. Her journey felt painfully slow as she descended the spiral, hands on the banister to avoid slipping. She stopped on the bottom step, slightly out of breath as she watched the blonde lighting the last of the lamps.

"Rapunzel?" she stood, stock still, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Cass!" she turned on her heels, rushing over to envelope her in a hug. "I'm glad you're alright. I was worried when it was all dark in here and you weren't waiting for me," she skipped back over to the table where she'd set her basket.

"I missed you so much last week!" she chattered as she began to set the table. "I'm sorry I didn't make it. I was sick and couldn't get out of bed."

"You-you were?"

"Mhmm. But to make up for it I brought two dishes. Dinner and dessert. And you can keep the leftovers. I've got shepherd's pie and-" she looked up to see Cassandra still frozen where she stood. "What's the matter?"

"I thought you forgot about me."

"Forgot? Oh Cass, I would never forget you," she walked around the table so she could grasp Cassandra's hands in her own. "I care about you so so much! Coming to see you is like, the best part of my week."

"But your other friends-"

"Are not like you. I like that sometimes it's a challenge to get a smile out of you, because then I know it's genuine and you're not just doing it to be nice. You like my cooking even when I don't think it's my best work. You inspire me to work hard even if I'm not the best at something. Everything about you is so interesting. You're the most fascinating person I've ever met. I love you for who you are. "

"You what?"

"I like you for who you are?"

"'Love.' You said-"

Rapunzel stared at her for several moments, the wheels in her head turning as she processed what she had just let slip and the implications of it.

"Oh! Well, of-of course I love everything about you. And I like you as a friend, certainly. Not that I don't not love you- that makes sense, right? It's just such a strong word and we've never- never talked about that sort of thing. But-" she tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she gathered up her courage, "If I were to, say, maybe like you- as more than a friend, that is- would that be okay?"

"I might- I might like you better than a friend, too. So that... would probably be okay."

"Then it's a good thing I brought dinner and dessert," she grinned. "It sounds like we have a lot to talk about."

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"What happened to the Rapunzel who wouldn't give a second thought to shirking her responsibilities for a day?" Cassandra grinned.

"Maybe she actually learned something when her best friend told her to take things seriously," Rapunzel propped herself up on her elbow as she smiled back.

Cassandra mirrored her position as she studied her face, haloed in morning light. "What if I'm not ready?"

Her face fell in disappointment, but she didn't let it seep into her voice. "Then… I'll have the servants bring some breakfast- I'll say it's for me- and I'll stop by to bring you lunch," Rapunzel slowly trailed her hand up Cassandra's arm, until it was resting on her shoulder. "I want to give you the time you deserve with me. I'll clear my schedule as soon as I can," she leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss against Cassandra's lips, before rolling out of bed.

Cassandra followed, taking Rapunzel's hand in her own as she came up beside her. "I don't think I'm ready to see everyone yet," she stated again, staring forward stoically. "But I don't want to be alone. So maybe I'll have to be."

Rapunzel lifted their hands to her face so she could kiss the back of Cassandra's hand. "I'll be here for you for whatever you need today. You were always there for me, even if I took your presence for granted. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for a lot of things-"

"Hey," Cassandra spoke up, momentarily distracting Rapunzel from what was about to turn into an emotional rant. "The past is the past. There is… a lot we can both make amends for. But let's just focus on today. The here and now."

The princess brightened, sighing with relief. She went to her closet, rifling through it to find her current favorite dress. Once she'd picked it out, Cassandra helped her into it without prompting, just like old times. They had fallen into it, naturally, hardly thinking of the task until they were in the middle of it. But despite the familiarity of their morning routine, everything was so different now to how it was a year prior.

So they broke the routine, with Rapunzel in front of her vanity brushing her hair while Cassandra stayed near. She had less need of her help without her lengthy blonde locks, but still, there had been a brief time when she helped her with the current shorter and more manageable style. Falling back into old habits would have been uncomfortably easy.

"Can I ask you something?" Cassandra was sat on a stool next to Rapunzel.

"Anything, Cass."

"Why do you have like, 100 paintings of me?"

"You found those?"

"Yeah."

"I missed you. That's really all there is to say."

"All that because you missed me?"

She nodded. "And because there was a part of me that was afraid I'd never seen you again. I never wanted to forget about you. Sometimes I liked to imagine the person you might become, if you came back. I wanted to dream up a world that still had you in it. I wanted to remember all the time we'd spent together. It was only a couple of years but, once I started trying to put everything on canvas, it felt like a lifetime. It all felt so far away. Every time I thought of you I couldn't help but wonder how we'd grown so far apart in such a short time."

"We grew close in a short time, too. I guess it's no wonder we fell apart."

"So did Eugene and I and we're still together," she paused when she saw Cassandra's expression turn annoyed at his mention. "But you're not him. You are your own person. I love you for who you are. Sweet and honest and always real with me."

"Too bad it took a horrible falling out for us to have this kind of talk."

Rapunzel took a deep breath as still fresh memories of their previous encounter raced to the forefront of her mind. "The past is the past. Remember? We've got a new day ahead."

"Then we should get going."

"In that?"

Cassandra looked down at the nightgown she was still wearing as Rapunzel stifled a giggle.

"Let me see if I have something you can wear," she stood up and started to riffle through her closet again.

Something caught Cassandra's eye as she scanned the array of dresses.

"Why do you have one of my shirts?"

Rapunzel froze like she was a kid who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her gaze landed on a piece of fabric that seemed slightly off amongst her bright purples and yellows. A burgundy shirt, formerly (and still, currently, now that she was back) belonging to Cassandra.

She pulled it down, holding it to her chest for a moment before turning and presenting it to her. "I borrowed it. I didn't know when- or if- you would be coming back. I never wanted to forget you. To pretend like you never mattered just because you may have hurt me. Even when people told me to move on, I couldn't. Some part of myself even tried to push the memories of you aside. And it helped, when I needed to put on a good face for the citizens of Corona. Pretend like I was okay even on the days when I longed for you the most. I wanted as many reminders of you- of us- around me as possible. So I would never forget my best friend. No matter what."

"Wow, Raps. That's- that's a lot." Cassandra tenderly took the article of clothing. Her eyes scanned the familiar cloth, before she handed it back. "Hang on to it for me a little longer. I think I already have something to wear today," she turned around for a moment, slipping out of her loaned pajamas and letting her dark armor slide back into place.

"This feels right," she said, looking to Rapunzel again, and seeming to notice her new outfit for the first time.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Your dress."

"Oh."

Cassandra's hand came to rest under the glowing orb in her chest, in the same spot that the emblem of Corona was stitched upon Rapunzel's outfit. Pink vines seemed to grow from the image of the sun, following a similar pattern to that of the blue streaks that extended out from the opal.

"We match."

"Yeah. We kind of do," Rapunzel tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Even after we parted ways in the Dark Kingdom, I never stopped believing you were my friend. I never stopped hoping you'd come back home. I never gave up on you."

"Why not?" Old doubts began to creep back to Cassandra's mind.

"Cass-" she stepped forward, tentatively wrapping her arms around her. "I don't know everything that you're going through or why it's so hard to believe that people actually, genuinely care about you. But I do care about you. And I will remind you every chance that I can," she paused. "I understand today may be difficult-"

"Understatement."

"-but I'll be here," she lifted her head so she could look Cassandra in the eyes. "Right by your side. And I won't let anyone hurt you. But I- we- have to get going."

Cassandra finally reciprocated the embrace, burying her face in Rapunzel's hair. "What if everyone hates me?" she asked, muffled.

"Impossible. There's at least one person who could never hate you."

"You?"

"Me," she pulled away, taking Cassandra's hand as she led her towards the door. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

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